Ross Stride
Mistake in lore, this is all void. Will re-write when I'm not lazy. The Fall of Stromgarde It was a dark night, the sky lit only by the flashes of light from siege weaponry hurling flaming ammunition across the once peaceful grasslands. Near the horizon, a coarse black smoke bellows northward, lit dimly by the fires of the Dark Horde as they as they began their advance onto the castle of Stromgarde. The kingdom had been holding off the raging Orcs for several months now, but their defence had begun to crumble as the Dark Horde had fought its way through a bloody campaign, finally landing themselves just south of Stromgarde. The army of this nation had begun its slow retreat, giving the city time to evacuate, and had been holding out as long as they could to prevent the major loss of innocent civilian life. Then there was Ross, only eight years old. He had made his way out from the castle walls, out of view from his panicked mother. Ross, seeing the smoke and ignoring the carts and horses moving past him, made his way to a small clearing on a hill just outside the castle boundaries to get a better view on the chaos that was slowly descending across the nations lands. From this point, he could see the war marchine that was the Dark Horde, pressing up against the breaking wall of Stromgardes fiercest warriors, hell bent on protecting their homeland. But they weren't enough, the Orcs gradually picking up speed towards the castle. The loss of their Kingdom had come, yet the soldiers continued to die, refusing to turn tail for safety. Ross was frozen by this display of war, this clash of blood, hatred, honour, courage, and death. A knight, full clad in bloodied armour, had begun making his way back when he laid eyes on the boy, almost hidden by the tall grass of the Arathi Highlands. Without delay, the knight rode his horse up the hill, bringing it to a halt at the top. He began yelling for the child to grasp his hand, the child who now stared back at the soldier, unmoving. Thinking quickly, the soldier reached down, grasping Ross by the back of his shirt, and lifted him up on the saddle before getting off the horse himself and yelling at a fellow soldier to take the rein of his horse. Following commands, this soldier on horseback grasped the reins, pulling the horse down off the hill and back to the road. As the horse began to pick up pace, Ross looked back to see the knight fearlessly run south once more to join his brothers in glorious battle, and to die in honour protecting the legacy of their homeland. Fresh Start; Coming of the Scourge Left in the abcense of his parents, he was taken into the family of a regular Stromgarde footsoldier, his wife, and their newborn daughter, who had now owned a home in Lordaeron. Everything which had been taken away, had been rightfully returned, giving him a life that was proper for a young boy. He went to school and gained an education, and when he was of age, he joined the ranks of the Lordaeron Army, and trained to become an Exemplar. Then the rise of the Scourge came to be. He was called as a member of the Lordaeron Militia to stand between the Kingdom and the growing undead threat. He fought valiantly, and bravely, but to no avail. Lordaerons forces were in a state of chaos, broken off from one another and crumbling slowly, and the Kingdom lost. He had been fighting on the southern front and had been pushed further and further south from the capital city. They continued to press on, to try to regain their dead Kingdom, but failed in each attempt they made to break through. Following the end of the Undead invasion, he and his fellow soldiers who survived the ordeal joined several caravans heading south, to escort them as they made their break for safety in the Southern Kingdoms; Most notably, Stormwind. It was there that he dropped his title as an Exemplar, finding a new life for himself as a caravan escort, joining convoys as they made their way across the land. And then he met Banquo. The Rise of the Madcaps LAturrrr SHOELACES APPROVES THIS MESSAGE! thumb|334px|right Category:Characters